upper deck. once that has dried thaim able to start striping within the next day. >> chp says there have been no major problems officials say there has not been a huge increase in delaysc> only about 10-15 minutes more. it's a race against the clock to get that new eastern span ready for traffic we're starting the money the bridge was last night. >> heather? >> caltrans tells ugs they have wiggle room f they do encounter problems they still hope to be able to make tuesday morning opening. so far, they haven't encountered set backs. a 1,000 foot section of the old approach to the bridge is well on its way to being gone. crews are starting on the bridge working back towards oakland. this section has to go to make

room to connect the new paths running along the outer edge of the deck scheduled to open tuesday, at noon. at yerba buena island tunnel new road surface being prepared by this morning, the upper deck finished and lower more than half done. paving will complete tomorrow on a temporary onramp from the island"w$rq grinding, paving and striping is a big problem, 1.2 major square feet and only 14,000 tons will be brought in to pay. >> last update is that everything is looking really good. we've got great weather. so we're confident how things are going so far. >> there are 400 workers on the bridge working in shifts 24 hours per day aiming for the scheduled tuesday 5:00 a.m. opening. >> a lot of people here are putting in very long hours. everyone, including

contractors are abiding by worker safety laws. >> so this grinding here started immediately after the closure last night grinding is what it sounds like, it's tearing up asphalt about two inches here, they're repaving árv a good new road service there is grinding and paving froird a new system. but the grinding is supposed to be expected to be finished soon with paving here starting tonight. live at the toll plaza, abc 7 news., / >> thank you. >> sky 7 hd is live one of the hardest hit commutes thanks to the closure just look at that 101 south. we do want to take you live into traffic now. using our cell 7 technology on the road, again, highway 101 south and the bridge seem to be hardest hit areas tonight.

you can see our drivers are just getting on to 92. it's been like athat for hours. >> just keep your patience, hopefully this will take your cap. now, checking in for the impact on the evening commute. >> good afternoon, everybody, it's going to be a 25-30 minute commute just to head into that direction. out of foster city. and into hayward. looking into this drive. top stop and go, it's go tyke an hour to head out of san francisco just to get to highway 9 so very busynwqhu conditions out there. this is once you get to the

hayward side more space making it into the eastbound direction but still, slow. taking another look outside this is going to be the golden gate there. take a look at the strickof cars. it's bumper to bumper over to the marin county side z now, taking another live shot this is going to be mill valley. redwood hay hae continuing away from the bridge. you can see the drive is a beautiful driver, however, packed and going to be an hour and a half to get you up to 580. so minute by minute. >> thank you. >> bart is offering around the clock service through labor day recording their 10th busiest day with 427,000 riders. ferries also seeing a big jump in ridership. golden gate larks spur ferry saw more than 400 passengers

this morning. ferries to the east bay saw more riders. buses, though, will be ac transit dropping off and picking up at four bart stations. >> bay area commuters seem to cope without the bay bridge thanks to a lot of warnings and public transportation. bart saw a bump in ridership. abc news reporter david louie checking on the evening commute. david? >> but there are indications some people are taking a long weekend to avoid a commute nightmare. commuters took advantage of bart this, is a look at the commute. bart said it carried almost

31,000 more passengers this morning and some people took advantage of the 24 hour service. 6800 road bart between midnight and 4:00 a.m. >> we climbed on pleasant hill and took a seat. and didn't start to stand until two stations further on here. >> natasha noticed lots of new faces on the ferry. >> they also didn't know there are certain seats certain people sit in. >> regulars got aced out of seats? >> yes. likely. >> this banker booked a hotel room last night. >> deciding to come in last night. this is to avoid morning commute. a good straight strath ji. >> here is a rare sight. parking lots, half empty a sign workers are taking days off or taking public transit. >> how many cars can you park here? >> maybe a few hundred.

>> how many do you have now? >> no now is 85. >> foot traffic is lighter than normal, famous wayne has been operating his stand 30 years, not good for business. >> the idea how much money you can lose if it's dead like jjf >> about probably several hundred. >> nearby restaurants says it's quieter than usual. >> you can see cannon balls through here and not hit a soul, but don't. >> get up early tomorrow our continuing coverage means we'll begin early again, tomorrow, join us at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow and tuesday so you can see how the commute is shaping up. contra costa district attorney considering charges against a police officer in a molestation case. the 37-year-old who lives in

concord was arrested last week, officer hastings out on bond. detectives forwarded the case to the district attorney's office. >> crews fighting the rim fire are reporting progress today. the wildfire grew to 192,000 acres overnight but containment grew, it's now at 30%. and evacuation advisory that was in place for the city was lifted. a sign firefighters are slowing the spread of the fire. officials said the fire won't be fully contained until september 20th. later because of higher temperatures forecast in the coming days that could be trouble some for crews. san francisco water officials will stay safe from the fire. >> you're looking -- getting a unique time lapse. you can see what many have

been seeing lots of smoke. some of the heaviest smoke coming from the forest sk created by flames consuming groves of trees. >> incredible video there. >> process of picking up pieces continues in fair feemdz. -- fairfield. 15 homes were damaged in a fire spreading from the freeway to the neighborhood. some want to know why there wasn't more defensible space behind their homes. >> last of the trucks this afternoon pulled out and that is fire and city officials met with residents who lost so much to offer this support and hear complaints. >> this was one moment of joy amid sorrow for fairfield verna and jane, gray.

a cherished family photo. until then, all couple could do is sit and watch as firefighters and grown children sifted through the charred debris looking for something, anything they can salvage. >> i don't cry. >> 39 years of our live living in this house. we raised our kids, our grandkids. it's all gone. >> several of the neighbors did not lose their homes in tuesday's fire but the flames came close. >> koit have been some. koit have been stopped. >> they blame the city for not cutting the grass behind their homes part of a 30-foot wide strip separating their backyard frtz sound wall near where the fire started. >> i want the city to pay.

if that grass was cut back there this fire won't have happened. >> who do you understand should be cutting that grass? >> either the city or county. or someone. >> the public works director says they need time to research who is responsible for maintaining the grassy property behind the homes. >> only thing i can confirm is the property lines in the back wall. i'm looking into the ownership and responsibilities associated with that easement. >> the city determines what, if any responsibility it has for the spread of the fire the the residents. a localford dealership pledged to donate $100 to the fire victims. >> and still to come animal

control imposters and lost pets they claim to be lking for. >> movie being filmed in a city putting a parade of cars on the streets of san francisco. >> and cost compare sons of light bulbs and l.e.d.s. michael finney looks at

a teacher in san jose has been arrested for possession of more than 2000 images of child pornography. the 39-year-old taught in the oak glove elementary school district since 2006 prior to that worked at simmons elementary. >> officers interviewedt;v÷ students as part of the investigation. detectives do not believe he had inappropriate contact with the children. burlingame police warning citizens about a snake scam. investigators say a woman talked to residents into letting her search the backyard for snakes. the woman matches a description of one union city police say pulled off a similar robbery. sheer look at the sketch. the woman described as heavy set latino woman with a

bronx-type accent. victims say she wore a khaki uniform with dried glue stains. >> consumer reports partnered with 7 on your side on best value for money when you buy those l.e.d.lights. michael finney is here with detail autos we're going have to buy the nalt tiff light%r.k here soon. lights about to go out on the last of the incan decemberent bulbs. bulbs no longer manufactured this january. but resist the urge to run out and hoard old ones. consumer reports latest tests show energy saving bulbs are now better than ever. most people relie on about 50 light bulbs. you may ask why buy old new bulbs? >> incan decemberents cost a year to power compared with

only $1.75 for a l.e.d.or cfl. >> l.e.d.s are more expensive, 20ses today 30s oodz at that price, they can save about $125 over the lifetime on electrical costs. skpont cost of replacing bulbs. >> the l.e.d.s can last decades. more than twice as long as c.f.l.s. l.e.des light instantly unlike c.f.l.s. and many l.e.d.bulbs are dimable. most cfls are not. mark switched to l.e.d.lights throughout his home. >> lights create turn ons!sí te is quick. and the fact i don't have to change bulbs often is better. >> consumer reports tested 750 cfls and l.e.d.bulbs, measuring warm up time, light distribute examination how

long they last. testers used this sphere. l.e.d.s outperform c.f.l.s on all counts. consumer reports named two l.e.d.bulbs best buys. this one from 3 m this, one from utila tech. now, if you can't pair -- bear, i can't say this, it upsets me, $20 on a bulb, that is me, consider cfls instead. consumer reports operated soft white cfls only costing $1.5 a bull oob yes. >> thank you. >> sure. >> san francisco north beach neighborhood turned back the clock today to the beatnik

era. vintage cars drove down as filming continues on the new tim burton movie. it's about artists margaret and walter keen and court battle over their art work. >> we thought we saw tim burton but it wasn't. and i wanted to see helena bonham carter. >> it's grai. i'm visiting from florida it added to adventure. >> the movie stars amy adams and several store fronts on green street have been changed to make it look like it did in the 50s. >> so cool. >> very cool. >> sandhya patel is up on the roof. >> yes. hi, sandhya. >> hi cheryl it's a beautiful day on roof get ready to enjoy hot summer

weather. it's coming. will it last? check out live doppler 7 hd. we'll talk about the holiday here. just patches of lingering fog near the coast. that has created thunderstorms just a few hours ago strong thunderstorm rolled through riverside area with wind gusts near uc river sirkd take a look at flooding being reported at 4:54. so, definitely a concern if you're heading to southern california slight chance of showers remaining in the forecast for friday we have flash flood warnings up for that area. and flash flood watches until 11:00 p.m. for arts of southern california. all right. back to the bay area, from our

tower camera looking at a beautiful view with fog creeping back in. here are the temperatures. 67 san francisco. 74 oakland, 80s in san jose to los gatos. o 89 degrees in fairfield. mild to warm and from ourq]x2z camera you can see fog coming back into the picture. santa rosa 84 now. mid-80s concord and livermore. well not a lot oftg;ugshine over the golden gate bridge now. fog will be near the coast and bay again tonight. warmer for all areas tomorrow. and looking at the satellite and radar we have disturbances to our north, to our south we're in the middle and enjoying nice summer weather.

tomorrow going to heat up. warm conditions expected inland. mild to warm near the beaches then over the weekend notice changes. we'll see temperatures fall as a result of a stronger sea breeze. tomorrow morning watch out for fog. so a comfortable start if getting off to plans early just keep that in mind. tomorrow afternoon 86 in san jose. mid-80s for mountain view. 70 on the coast. great day to head to the beach. 67 sunset district and north bay low 90s santa rosa and napa. 82 in oakland and union city. here is a look at accu-weather forecast. it will cool off saturday.

you'll feel it sunday, monday. so dropping cooler than average this time of the year we'll see a recovery by mid to latter part of the week. over all, looking fantastic for long holiday weekend. it's beautiful here right now. back to you, cheryl and ama. >> thank you. california students under. do they spell suck snes or trouble? >> let's take a look outside another look at our cell 7 technology on the bridge where traffic is moving nicely.

two reports showed mixed rumts for california public school kids. >> only!y 51% of california public schools earned target score of 800 on the 1,000 point academic performance index. >> the first year to year drop in a decade, however, saying 96% of the students passed high school exit exam measuring competencey in reading writing and math. >> we're very pleased that our california exit exam has been taken seriously and more students are passing in the 10th grade so this is positive indication students are

focusing early on getting those skills that are needed. >> the api results vary considerably between elementary and secondary schools. 56% of elementary schools and 56% of middle schools met the bench mark. >> silicon valley titans gear up in a friendly lego robot

coming up at 6:00 the

progress on the bay bridge conversion plus what is going to happen to the old bridge. also, california big marketing campaign ahead of the new federal health care overhaul. the key dates you need to keep in mind. those stories and more coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. now back to shairld and ama. >> thank you. >> let's have a little fun, legos not just for kids anymore. >> yes. some complicated creations took center stage today. teams from yahoo, flickr and auto degs being compete td see who could come up with the best design using mind storm kit released next month. >> you've got to get that for the kids. idea behind the event encouraging create activity and making engineering more accessible for kids. >> imagine the manual for that. >> i know. right? taking hours. >> a learning curve. yike autos that is going to do it for us.

>> for all of us here, thank you very much. we're heading i believe this is "world news." tonight, big hit, america's biggest sport will pay nearly $1 billion to football players with brain injuries from the field. but what is the sheer force of one of those blows that will today change the game? countdown to a possible u.s. military strike on syria. president obama is making his case to congress, and we look at the family secrets of the syrian leader. sleeping pills, a wakeup call for americans. a new truth about how many of us are using them and what they do to your body. and behind the headlines tonight, the wife of george zimmerman speaking out, what she says happened the night before trayvon martin was shot.